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UAlbany closes regular season without Travis Charles

Forward has knee sprain but will be honored with other seniors

Pete Dougherty| on
February 26, 2018

UAlbany's Travis Charles takes a shot on a breakaway during a game against Maine on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, at SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y. UAlbany finished out with a win over Maine 89-79. (Jenn March, Special to the Times Union) less

UAlbany's Travis Charles takes a shot on a breakaway during a game against Maine on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, at SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y. UAlbany finished out with a win over Maine 89-79. (Jenn March, Special ... more

UAlbany's Travis Charles takes a shot on a breakaway during a game against Maine on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, at SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y. UAlbany finished out with a win over Maine 89-79. (Jenn March, Special to the Times Union) less

UAlbany's Travis Charles takes a shot on a breakaway during a game against Maine on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, at SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y. UAlbany finished out with a win over Maine 89-79. (Jenn March, Special ... more

Looking for a beam of sunshine through the dark cloud hovering over the University at Albany basketball team, coach Will Brown will be spared having to make a small forward out of one of his inside players.

UAlbany has its senior night Tuesday, and Brown usually rewards those honored by letting them all start the Great Danes' final regular-season home game.

Three of the four UAlbany seniors are low-post players, but Travis Charles, who has started all 30 games this season, will sit out the America East Conference match against Binghamton after injuring his left knee Saturday.

"I was going to start every senior no matter what," Brown said Monday. "We would have had to do one or two things that we normally don't do so I could start those guys."

Now Greig Stire, who has started all 97 games over the past three seasons, will be in the opening lineup with fellow seniors Alex Foster and Costa Anderson, along with juniors Joe Cremo and Devonte Campbell.

More Information

UAlbany vs. Binghamton

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: SEFCU Arena, Albany

TV/radio: ESPN3.com, WTMM 104.5 FM

Charles, ninth in the America East in scoring (14.9) and 10th in rebounding (5.6), has a mild sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

Brown said Charles is "highly questionable" for Saturday 's conference tournament quarterfinal game against Stony Brook.

UAlbany assistant athletic trainer John Sylak, who has been working with Charles, said he is treating the situation day by day.

"The reason he's out (Tuesday), three days from the injury, there would be probably some danger of aggravating the injury," Sylak said of Charles. "We're trying to get his pain down, get the swelling down — even though there wasn't much — and start getting him stronger as his symptoms go."

Charles, who had a large wrap on his left leg as he watched practice Monday, was not permitted to talk to the media.

Point guard David Nichols wasn't available, either, as he apparently got tossed out of practice before the media arrived.

"He didn't make it until the end of practice" is all Brown would say.

Nichols' 53-game starting streak will come to an end Tuesday so Brown can get Anderson into the lineup.

The senior night game has no bearing on the standings for UAlbany (21-9, 9-6), but it will carry meaning for the seniors as they reflect on their careers.

"Everyone remembers, Peter (Hooley) hit a shot right there," Stire, the only remaining player from the 2015 America East champions, said as he pointed to a spot on the SEFCU Arena floor. "Still, when I watch it, it's exciting for me."

"I wish he had a fifth year," Brown said of Stire, a CBA grad. "I wish we had stuck to our guns and redshirted him his freshman year, but he was competing at too high of a level and was ahead of where we thought he'd be."

Anderson, a 6-2 guard out of Atlanta, will get his first start in his two seasons at Albany. For the second straight season, he is getting some quality minutes as the season winds down.

"When your opportunity calls, you've got to step up and do what you do best," Anderson said. "Coach Brown gave me the opportunity to step up. I'm just taking full advantage of it."

"Every day he just goes about his business," Brown said. "He gives you everything he has."

Foster, from Plainfield, Ill., represents the Danes' first foray into accepting graduate transfers. He played at Texas Tech and Bradley before enrolling for one season at UAlbany.

This will be his second senior day. He also had one at Bradley.

"This one's a little bit different because I feel more invested in the team," Foster said. "In years prior, I wasn't in that big of a role. I was a rah-rah bench player, which was fine. I was doing what I had to do for the sake of the team, but this one has a little more meaning to it."

"Alex has been a pleasure to coach," Brown said. "He's just a good young man, good kid, good person."

Charles, from Brooklyn, is in his third season with the Danes, but his first as a starter.

"Travis has probably been as fun of a personality for me to coach since I've been here," Brown said. "Not only does he come out here and let his game do the talking and give you everything that he has every single day, but he also has that personality that makes you smile and makes you laugh."